September 29, 2019 - Triggered Series, The Deception of the Flesh

September 29, 2019 The smaller groups in our church community are inside our homes where we go deeper, build friendships, and walk out the Christian life with each other. HOME CHURCH GUIDE + “Breaking the Ice” question (group facilitator) + CHECK-INS: Introduce, check-in + CARE: Needs in the group + COMPASSION: What is the group planning? Are you inviting your neighbours to join in? + GROUP ANNOUNCEMENTS Church-wide, group-only + DIG IN: Discuss questions as a group + END AND HOMEWORK: Final questions, prayer huddles for personal requests. Consider breaking into small groups (huddles) of 2-4, by gender, if large enough. KEY SCRIPTURES: Genesis 3:1-8, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, John 8:44, Romans 12:2 DISCUSSION questions: 1. What are some ways you get your sense of who you are? What are your sources of identity? How do you describe yourself to others? Are some of these positive, negative, neutral? 2. Christianity teaches your truest self is known only through the love of God, understanding your inestimable worth through Jesus’ death for you. What do you think about the idea of God being close to humans/creation and loving it and you? 3. “The Flesh,” as used by Paul in the Bible, is a deceptive state of being, a lie that draws us to think and do that which opposes Jesus (sin). Does the secular world have a similar concept? What do you think about the idea of the flesh being at war with the Spirit and who you truly are? Talk about “the flesh”? INNER BATTLE TRAP OF THE FLESH 4. The Flesh causes us to perform and hide. What makes us want to perform? When we hide things about ourselves, what does that do to us internally? 5. Are others usually fooled by our hiding or performing? What do you think? 6. What happens to our personality and self when we start to believe our own acting? Rituals and habits can be powerful for good change (formational) IF we are first (and always) looking at being rooted and rested in what and who Jesus says we are. How can religious practice be freeing or make “the flesh” more of a prison? Prayer Requests: PILGRIM CORE VALUE: TRANSFORMATION Jesus changes everything! We are saved from the power of sin by His death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit does an ongoing work in us so that we reflect the fullness of Jesus, enabling us to be catalysts of change in the world. 2 Peter 1:3-4, Colossians 1:13, Ezekiel 36:26, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 1:1014, Ephesians 4:12, John 10:10, Ephesians 4:22-24, John 3:16, Romans 6:1-8 UNDERSTANDING “THE FLESH” CONCEPT Galatians 5:16 Truth is God created us with a “beautiful, incurable need for love and worth to be derived from Him, but the deception of Satan that characterizes the flesh says that we can meet our own needs. The truth is God desires to make our lives full by graciously pouring his own life and love into us, but the flesh says that God is incapable or unwilling to give us full life” (35-36). Hiddenness Destruction/Death IN SUMMARY FOUR PARTS OF THE FLESH Deception Victory practices in two weeks. (51, SIB, Boyd) If our view of self and God is... “Religious work” vs truth...doing vs. being... Behaviours can backfire... Performance The way out of the flesh way of living is to... Sources: livingfree.org, Goodtheraphy.org, Seeing is Believing, G. Boyd; You Are What You Love, James KA Smith; Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero; Others.